Telegram snitched on 2,000 users to US authorities in 2024, report

Messaging app Telegram has drastically ramped up its fulfillment of data requests, handing over details of more than 2,000 users to US authorities in 2024. This is according to recently released data from the messaging platform.

As reported by 404 Media, Telegram fulfilled 14 requests “for IP addresses and/or phone numbers” from the US between January 1 and September 30, last year. These requests affected a total of 108 users, according to Telegram’s Transparency Reports bot.

However, the rest of 2024 saw the platform comply with 900 US-based requests that affected a total of 2,253 users.

The massive increase in fulfillment comes in the wake of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov’s arrest in August after the company was reluctant to cooperate with a child abuse investigation.

Shortly after Durov was arrested, the company updated its privacy policy to clarify that it would provide IP addresses and phone numbers to authorities in response to valid legal orders.

Previously, it had stated that it would only do so when requests were linked to potential terrorism offenses.

Read more: Are Telegram chats actually encrypted?

Telegram has long been recognized as a preferred method of communication for criminal networks, particularly in Southeast Asia, which use it to launder stolen funds using crypto, trade hacked data, and acquire tools for fraud.

Indeed, as reported by Reuters, the UN says the end-to-end encrypted app has fundamentally changed how organized crime operates. It found criminal enterprises in Southeast Asia, including Chinese syndicates, reportedly make between $27.4 billion and $36.5 billion annually.

Unlicensed crypto exchanges are also reportedly advertising money laundering services on the app. One advert identified by the UN claimed, “We move three million USDT stolen from overseas per day.”